Starlux plans to launch flights to Zurich, Barcelona next year

Taipei, May 29 (CNA) Starlux Airlines, Taiwan's youngest international carrier, is planning to launch flights to Zurich and Barcelona next year as part of its efforts to extend its reach into Europe.

Speaking at the airline's annual shareholder meeting Friday, Starlux Chairman Chang Kuo-Wei (張國煒) said the company has applied to fly to Zurich and Barcelona to expand its network in Europe beyond Prague, to which it will begin service on Aug. 1.

In addition to Europe, Chang said New Zealand and Australia will be expansion targets next year, with Sydney a possible destination, and the airline also has plans for increasing its presence in the United States.

Starlux already serves Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, but Chang said the airline has set its sights on further expansion in the U.S. and is considering Chicago, Washington D.C., New York and Dallas as possible destinations.

On the cargo side, Chang said Starlux has ordered 10 A350F cargo planes to bolster its air cargo services and turn the carrier into both a passenger and cargo airline.

Shareholders raised questions about when Starlux will join the Oneworld alliance, one of the world's three major airline alliances.

In response, Chang said that as a young carrier, Starlux remained a stranger to the Oneworld alliance, and some leading carriers in the alliance suggested that Starlux work with some alliance members first before pursuing membership.

As a result, Chang said, Starlux has partnered with Alaska Airlines and American Airlines, two of the Oneworld alliance's members.

Starlux CEO Glenn Chai (翟健華) said after taking delivery of two A350-900s and one A330-900neo last year, Starlux ran a fleet of 29 aircraft, handling 4.90 million passengers and 87,000 tons of cargo.

In mid-2025, Chai said Starlux signed an agreement with Airbus to purchase 10 A350-1000 passenger flights to boost its capacity of wide-body aircraft, eyeing long haul routes.